The Toronto Star has uncovered the documentary on Premier Kathleen Wynne that no one is allowed to see.
From the Kathleen Wynne TVO documentary. Premier Kathleen Wynne runs from Star reporter Rob Ferguson after the Liberals won the byelection. "Is he still following us?" she whispers to an aide.
The Toronto Star is lifting the veil on the political drama that no one is allowed to see.
It is a one-hour documentary entitled, Premier: The Unscripted Kathleen Wynne, that was supposed to air on TVOntario earlier this month — before it was yanked.
The fly-on-the-wall account depicts Wynne under siege during February’s Sudbury byelection scandal, lashing out at the press for being “out to get” her, and discussing the toll of being Canada’s second most powerful leader.
Wynne complains the media “just seem obsessed” with the story.
“That’s what makes me so mad,” she fumes.
She also dispenses campaign advice to a wide-eyed federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and, with help from spouse Jane Rounthwaite, artfully smacks down a Progressive Conservative MPP for homophobic comments.
Indeed, some of the film’s most illuminating moments are of Wynne and Rounthwaite in their Toronto home.
Their marriage is one of loving, equal partners who share a puckish sense of humour, a passion for politics, and a quaint affinity for the 1950s sit-com I Love Lucy.
But the behind-the-scenes portrait — filmed as the Liberals crafted the budget while coping with a police investigation into allegations a former candidate was bribed not to run in the Sudbury byelection — may never be broadcast.
That’s because the premier and her officials won’t sign release forms, the director and editor quit the project in protest in May, and TVO is demanding a refund on its $114,075 investment from the executive producer.
The Star viewed a copy of the film complete with titles and moody background music.
Well-shot, it shows Wynne as a thoughtful and conscientious boss who treats staffers well and enjoys friendly relations with her cabinet colleagues as they prepare the budget that began the sell-off of Hydro One and ushered in supermarket beer sales.
Rounthwaite comes across as a smart and savvy political operator fiercely loyal to her spouse, cannily weighing in on:
The Wynne “brand”: “Your honesty.”
Trudeau: “He should be taking advice in Ontario about how to get those seats back.”
Image-making: “Kath never wore make-up, it was a point of principle, but with all the exposure you have to look good every minute of the day.”
A pesky young reporter: “He’s a twerp.”
Tory MPP Monte McNaughton: “This guy is a Neanderthal.”
more and video at link:
Revealed: The Kathleen Wynne documentary that can’t be broadcast | Toronto Star
From the Kathleen Wynne TVO documentary. Premier Kathleen Wynne runs from Star reporter Rob Ferguson after the Liberals won the byelection. "Is he still following us?" she whispers to an aide.
The Toronto Star is lifting the veil on the political drama that no one is allowed to see.
It is a one-hour documentary entitled, Premier: The Unscripted Kathleen Wynne, that was supposed to air on TVOntario earlier this month — before it was yanked.
The fly-on-the-wall account depicts Wynne under siege during February’s Sudbury byelection scandal, lashing out at the press for being “out to get” her, and discussing the toll of being Canada’s second most powerful leader.
Wynne complains the media “just seem obsessed” with the story.
“That’s what makes me so mad,” she fumes.
She also dispenses campaign advice to a wide-eyed federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and, with help from spouse Jane Rounthwaite, artfully smacks down a Progressive Conservative MPP for homophobic comments.
Indeed, some of the film’s most illuminating moments are of Wynne and Rounthwaite in their Toronto home.
Their marriage is one of loving, equal partners who share a puckish sense of humour, a passion for politics, and a quaint affinity for the 1950s sit-com I Love Lucy.
But the behind-the-scenes portrait — filmed as the Liberals crafted the budget while coping with a police investigation into allegations a former candidate was bribed not to run in the Sudbury byelection — may never be broadcast.
That’s because the premier and her officials won’t sign release forms, the director and editor quit the project in protest in May, and TVO is demanding a refund on its $114,075 investment from the executive producer.
The Star viewed a copy of the film complete with titles and moody background music.
Well-shot, it shows Wynne as a thoughtful and conscientious boss who treats staffers well and enjoys friendly relations with her cabinet colleagues as they prepare the budget that began the sell-off of Hydro One and ushered in supermarket beer sales.
Rounthwaite comes across as a smart and savvy political operator fiercely loyal to her spouse, cannily weighing in on:
The Wynne “brand”: “Your honesty.”
Trudeau: “He should be taking advice in Ontario about how to get those seats back.”
Image-making: “Kath never wore make-up, it was a point of principle, but with all the exposure you have to look good every minute of the day.”
A pesky young reporter: “He’s a twerp.”
Tory MPP Monte McNaughton: “This guy is a Neanderthal.”
more and video at link:
Revealed: The Kathleen Wynne documentary that can’t be broadcast | Toronto Star
